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Chapter 81: The Sedan Driver Is Seriously Injured And Has Been Rushed To The Hospital For Treatment…In the following days, An Yize came practically every weekend.
What An Yize had wanted to do was to come every other weekend. However, Su Jian stopped him, saying, "I said that I came here to think about things calmly. If you are always here, how can I stay calm?"
Although Su Jian had said that he would take the bus back every weekend, An Yize wasn't willing to let Su Jian suffer riding the long-distance bus alone. Thus, he always drove over. Although the living conditions here were simple and crude, the scenery was beautiful. When they were free, they would often go out. Sometimes, they would drive to the next town to enjoy their delicacies. Sometimes, they would take a slow walk around the village. If they felt interested, they would go to the surrounding hill and stroll along the path lying between the fields. On sunny days, they would go fishing on a lake. Leaning against each other, they would bathe in the warm afternoon sun.
Su Jian lamented, "It just feels weird that you're doing these things with me."
An Yize hugged him, "I'm doing these because I'm with you."
Su Jian laughed, "That's true. If it wasn't for seeing you fall into the paddy field, why would I walk through the path between the fields anyway?"
An Yize: "……"
Ever since cooking the first time he visited, An Yize never cooked again. It wasn't that he was unwilling to cook. Instead, it was because Su Jian had already prepared a lot of ingredients to cook with before he came.
During their meal, Su Jian revealed a table full of dishes with a satisfied look. On the other hand, An Yize was stunned when he saw the dishes.
They were all his favourites.
Su Jian didn't notice this when he bought the ingredients or when he cooked. He only realised after seeing An Yize's reaction. He quickly explained himself, "Recently, the carrots are becoming cheap, so I bought some to make stew. When I tasted some a while ago, I thought that it was pretty good, so I made some. As for the spicy, I wanted to have it myself!"
An Yize didn't comment, only eating quietly.
Su Jian watched as An Yize emptied bowls and bowls of rice. After they finished eating, Su Jian sat beside An Yize. Pulling up his sleeves, he asked An Yize warmly, "Dear, do you need me to rub your stomach?"
An Yize: "……"
The weekend came again.
Su Jian didn't have any classes on Friday afternoon and the village school wasn't strict with its employees. Thus, when Su Jian was done with marking the student's work, he slipped out to buy groceries.
Although it started raining and the rain was gradually getting heavier, Su Jian mood was great for some reason. The video store beside the market was continuously playing rural heavy metal songs. Su Jian thought that it sounded pretty good and would hum along occasionally.
As Su Jian's mood was great, he didn't even try to bargain when he bought the vegetables. Hearing the shopkeeper say, "This maiden is so straightforward", Su Jian thought: Although I can't rival An Yize's crude way of flaunting wealth, I'm at least able to refrain from licking the lid when I eat yogurt![1]
However, when he thought about that act, Su Jian started feeling uneasy.
Previously, when An Yize came, he had brought along a brand of yogurt that Su Jian liked. Su Jian was very happy and opened the packaging on the spot. Then, as usual, he licked the lid of the container of yogurt. When he looked up, he realised that An Yize was staring at him. Then, An Yize put on a serious face. With a serious reason "There's yogurt on your mouth. I'll wipe it," he licked Su Jian's lips, neck, and chest, licking more seriously than Su Jian had licked the yogurt…
When Su Jian came back to his senses, he quickly paid for the groceries. Carrying a bunch of things, he arrived at his electric bicycle.
An Yize had specifically bought this electric bike for him, and An Yize had one himself too. When An Yize came over, they would ride the bicycles out sometimes. The village road didn't have many cars and was surrounded by fields on both sides. Other than the clucking of the chicken and the barking of dogs, there was only the sound of the wind. When Su Jian has a good mood, he would challenge An Yize to a race. However, there was one time when Su Jian overtook An Yize and he turned around to laugh at An Yize. Suddenly, a car appeared in front. Su Jian was busy laughing and didn't notice. Therefore, when the car horn sounded, Su Jian got shocked. Losing control, his bicycle rushed towards the paddy field by the side……
Recalling the pathetic sight of him climbing out of the paddy field with his body full of muddy water, Su Jian couldn't help but hold his head in shame. Fortunately, An Yize didn't laugh at him during the ride back. He pulled Su Jian back to the dorm room for a bath and a change of clothes. Then he stuffed Su Jian into the blanket.
Su Jian put on his raincoat. Then, he rode his bicycle back to the dorm room.
When he reached home, he received a call from An Yize. Learning that An Yize would reach in roughly an hour, Su Jian hung up his phone and squatted in front of a pail. There was a fish inside the pail. It was caught two days ago by him when he went to fishing at a small river out of boredom. Initially, he didn't have the intention to eat it, so he left it in a pail and raised it. Su Jian stretched his hand and poked the fish inside, speaking leisurely, "A fish's life is short and full of hardship. Sorry dear, I have no choice. Uncle An likes to eat . If you have any grievance, please find him!"
Humming the song "Tan Te", Su Jian started cutting the vegetables. The pressure cooker by the side was emitting steam. Although the rain was getting heavier and the air outside was extremely cold, the room was like a little warm paradise.
After finishing all the task, Su Jian looked at the time and realised that one hour had passed. He breathed out in relaxation. When Su Jian removed his apron, he noticed the Pleasant Goat design on it. He couldn't help but chuckle when he recalled the tall and and strong looking An Yize cooking with this apron over his suit.
After arranging the dishes, Su Jian sat by the table. Looking at his own masterpiece, he felt very satisfied. He had wanted to take a bite. However, he decided to control himself.
The sound of the rain was getting louder and louder from outside the window and wasn't stopping. As this place was far away from the city, the nights are very quiet. Therefore, the sound of the rain was crystal clear. Su Jian looked outside the window,only to see the water droplets that was lighted up by the lights in his room, adding to the sense of mystery.
Su Jian suddenly realised that he hadn't heard such a pure sound of the night rain for a very long time. At this moment, rain was pouring outside his room. He was seated in front of a table full of dishes under the faint yellow lights, waiting for someone to arrive. This was a scene that he couldn't remember experiencing before.
Su Jian turned his head around and looked towards the door.
After learning that An Yize entered his room the first time by borrowing the keys from the uncle managing the dorm below, Su Jian made another set of keys for An Yize. Resting his head on his arm, Su Jian thought out of boredom: When An Yize arrives, will he knock the door or will he open the door himself with the keys? What will be the first sentence he'll say when he comes in…
However, after half an hour, there was no sound of someone knocking on the door. Neither was there the sound of the keys opening a door.
Su Jian glanced at the table of food that was gradually turning cold and furrowed his brows. He took out his phone and started calling An Yize.
"Sorry, the number you have called is powered off…"
Su Jian was stunned. Hanging up, he called again. The female voice from the phone once again repeated the sentence with a mechanical voice.
Why did he turn off his phone suddenly? Don't tell me he ran out of battery?
Su Jian felt a little anxious. Walking towards the window, it was pitch black outside. There wasn't any light from vehicles. Furrowing his brows, Su Jian returned back from the window and sat by his table for a while. Then, he took out his phone and started playing .
However, he wasn't able to execute the beautiful techniques that he usually used. He played a few rounds which all ended with a 'game over' very quickly. Su Jian quit the game angrily. Looking at the time again, he realised that only ten minutes has passed. Thus, he made himself wait a little longer.
Nevertheless, after another half an hour, An Yize still hasn't gotten to his room and his phone couldn't be reached as well. Su Jian couldn't sit still any longer.
Thinking for a moment, Su Jian took his umbrella and went down.
Su Jian stood downstairs and looked into the distance. Other than the sporadic road lights, the surround was pitch black. And within the night, no other sound could be heard except for the sound of the rain.
Just as Su Jian was hesitating whether to make a trip to the school entrance with his umbrella, the uncle managing the dorm, who was listening to the radio, stuck his head out from the side window and said, "Teacher Su, you're still heading out even though it's so late?"
Su Jian replied vaguely with an "Mhm".
The uncle tried to dissuade him, "The rain is so heavy and the weather is cold. It's better not to go out! If you have something to do, you can do it tomorrow!"
"It's nothing, I'm just going out to take a look." Su Jian replied slowly. Just as he was about to head out, he heard the announcer from the radio saying, "Around six thirty pm, a traffic accident occurred on xx highway. A black sedan of xa brand collided with a truck. The sedan driver is seriously injured and has been rushed to the hospital for treatment…"
Su Jian's leg that has stepped out for half a step paused midway.
Around six thirty pm, xx highway, xa brand, black sedan…
Su Jian's heart clenched. For an instance, his heart seemed to have stopped beating. Then, it started pounding like crazy.
The sedan driver is seriously injured…
Su Jian wanted to comfort himself thinking that there couldn't be such coincidence, However, when he remembered An Yize saying he would reach his house one hour later and then his phone being switched off subsequently, Su Jian started feeling at a loss.
The temperature seemed to have dropped. Su Jian hugged his arms and couldn't help but tremble. Then, he suddenly remembered something. Taking out his phone immediately, he started making a call. However, his hands were trembling slightly and he missed the buttons quite a few times.
"Sorry, the number you have called is powered off…"
Su Jian took the phone away from his ear slowly. Thinking for a moment, he quickly called Ji Mingfei.
"Linda's number? Wait, I'll find it for you…"
After obtaining An Yize's secretary,'s number Su Jian quickly called her.
"Madam, the president left the office around five pm."
If he left the office around five pm, he would reach xx highway by car at around…
Su Jian froze.
"Teacher Su? Teacher Su? What's wrong? You don't look so good." The uncle asked in concern.
"Nothing…" Su Jian tried to raise the corners of his lips forcefully. However, he realised they wouldn't move no matter how he tried.
With shaking hands, Su Jian took his phone and searched for the traffic police's number. He paused for a moment before making a call.
"The victim is a young man and he's already sent to xx hospital…"
Su Jian's heart trembled. Not listening to the rest of the sentence, he quickly hung up and rushed into the rain with his umbrella. As he walked quickly, he called his colleague.
"Teacher Zhang, can I borrow your family car for a while? …En, I have something going on. It's very urgent. Okay, I will head to your house now to get the keys…"
Su Jian walked quickly in the rain. Other than the sound of the rain, there wasn't any other sound. The icy cold rain water that was concealed by the darkness hit him in his face. Even the umbrella couldn't shield him completely. However, he didn't mind it and continued moving forward with troubled thoughts.
The night was icy cold and the rain was pouring.
Alone in the rain, he walked faster and faster and he eventually started running.
Suddenly, a ray of light in front cut through the rain and entered his eyes.
Su Jian's legs came to a stop. Seeing the approaching light from the car, Su Jian didn't move as he panted.
The black car stopped not far before him.
Then he saw someone opening the car door and came out.
"Jian Jian?" An Yize walked over quickly and furrowed his brows when he saw Su Jian who was almost completely drenched. Quickly bringing back the umbrella that was falling from Su Jian's hand, he held it over Su Jian's head and asked, "Why are you here?"
Su Jian stared at the person before him dazedly. Because of the backlighting, he couldn't actually see An Yize's face clearly.
Then, he slowly squatted down.
"Jian Jian?" An Yize was worried and confused at the same time.
"Nothing." Su Jian buried his face within his arms and knees. "Just let me calm down. I'll be fine after calming down…"
Footnotes:
[1]Not licking the lid - This is just an analogy to say that rich people have no need to lick of the little bits of yogurt on the lid as they can just buy more while poorer people can't afford to waste that little bit.
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Chapter 82: "Jian Jian, I Love You." "Yes, Me Too…"Entering the house, An Yize let Su Jian change out of his wet clothes. Turning around and seeing the table of food that had turned cold, he felt apologetic. "Sorry. There was a traffic accident on the highway which blocked traffic for a very long time, that's why I'm late."
"It's okay." Su Jian shook his head. "Your phone ran out of battery?"
An Yuze took out his phone to check and realised that it indeed had run out of battery. Looking at Su Jian's expression as well as his actions just now, he slowly came to an understanding. "You called me earlier but couldn't reach me, am I right?"
Su Jian lowered his head and pursed his lips. "Yes, I thought you weren't coming." Pausing for a moment, he added, "I'll go heat up the dishes."
However, just when he stretched out his hand to grab a bowl, his trembling hand lost its grip and the bowl dropped onto the floor.
The sound of the bowl breaking was very clear. Su Jian flinched. Then he squatted down to pick up the shards.
"Sss—"
"What's wrong? Did you cut yourself?"
"Yes."
An Yize brought the plaster over. With furrowed brows, he helped bandage Su Jian. Seeing that Su Jian was going to continue picking up the shards, he said, "Let me do it."
After cleaning up all the broken shards, An Yize sat beside Su Jian. Seeing Su Jian blankly raising his hand with the plaster, An Yize couldn't help but smiled, "Jian Jian?"
Su Jian looked at him and suddenly hugged An Yize.
An Yize was stunned. Hugging Su Jian back, he asked gently, "What's wrong?"
Su Jian replied softly, "It's a little cold…"
An Yize slightly tightened his hug, and a trace of gentleness appeared in his eyes. "Does it feel warmer now?"
Su Jian replied vaguely with an "Mhm".
It was very dark outside the room and the sound of the rain could be heard.
Under the faint yellow lights, the two of them hugged each other silently. For a moment, no one spoke.
An Yize looked down towards the person in his embrace.
Such a well-behaved Su Jian was rarely seen when he was sober. It was also rare for Su Jian to be willing to hug him on his own initiative when they were not acting.
I guess it's because of the cold afterall…
Su Jian's hair was still wet with cold water. An Yize touched it gently with his face and an inexplicable sense of warmth suddenly emerged in his heart.
This night. This rain.
As well as this person in his embrace.
Lightly kissing Su Jian's hair, An Yize felt his heart being filled with a sense of "satisfaction".
Just when this gentle feeling was overflowing, the person in his embrace moved slightly.
"Jian Jian?" An Yize's voice was full of warmth and doting.
Su Jian looked up towards him. "Yize, have you gotten fat?"
An Yize: "……"
An Yize heated up the dishes. The two of them sat by the table and began eating.
Su Jian ate his rice quickly with a lowered head. Seeing this, An Yize said warmly, "Jian Jian, eat slower."
Su Jian looked up towards him and suddenly said, "Yize, next time, just come once a month,"
An Yize's hand which was taking the vegetables paused. "Why?"
"You're too diligent coming every week…" Looking up, Su Jian saw a An Yize looking slightly dejected. Su Jian was surprised but he soon understood. "I just… feel that it's dangerous for you to keep coming. Didn't you hear that there was a traffic accident just now?"
An Yize replied, "I will be careful."
Su Jian replied anxiously, "Even if you're careful, others might not be! The number of accidents happening is increasing! I think that once a month is enough. As long as we love each other, we don't have to always be together![1]"
An Yize's eyes became brighter.
Seeing the faint laughter in An Yize's eyes, Su Jian felt a little uneasy. He said with raised head, "Don't misunderstand! I just felt that traditional Chinese poetry is exquisite and recited it!"
An Yize laughed softly, "Recited?"
"What are you laughing at?" Su Jian couldn't help but raised his lips as well. "Can't I be good at literature? As you are distracted by other things in life, the things we enjoy do not stay and continue moving on."
An Yize: "…Good skills."
When the two of them laid down on the bed, the sound of the rain outside the window has softened.
Su Jian nestled quietly in An Yize's embrace and didn't say anything. An Yize saw that Su Jian wasn't as lively as usual and thought that he was feeling uncomfortable due to being drenched in the rain earlier, so he didn't say anything as well. He brought Su Jian closer into his embrace.
The sound of the rain could be heard but it was buried by the night and silence. Although the air in the room was a little cold, it was warm inside the blankets.
However, Su Jian couldn't fall asleep despite this drowsy environment.
Glancing at the person hugging him, Su Jian tried to endure but was unable to. He climbed out from An Yize's embrace.
An Yize opened his eyes and stared at him. "What's wrong?"
Su Jian looked straight at him and said, "Why didn't you kiss me?"
He always kissed me before we went to sleep, sometimes even kissing me secretly during the night. Yet, when we went to sleep tonight, this fellow didn't kiss me. This bothers me a lot just like a shoe that doesn't fall[2]!
An Yize was stunned. Then a smile slowly emerged in his eyes.
Then, he slowly lean his body forward, hugged Su Jian's waist and kissed Su Jian on the lips.
Su Jian closed his eyes but responded earnestly.
Their clothing overlapped and their skin stuck close to each other as their lips continue to intertwine.
Lips, ear lobes, neck, collar bone, chest, and…
Su Jian bit his lips. His neck arched backwards and he panted heavily.
Su Jian's pant which had the words "Yize" in it caused An Yize's body to heat up.
However…
Su Jian caught hold of An Yize who was backing away, his blurry eyes questioning.
An Yize sighed and said with a hoarse voice, "Jian Jian, I didn't bring any condoms,"
Su Jian froze. Then, he slowly raised his hands to hug An Yize. "It's okay…"
After they became one, they didn't do much afterwards.
However, An Yize felt that this was the best choice of all.
For some reason, Su Jian hugged him very tightly this time. Su Jian kept wanting him to do it face to face and kept hugging him without letting go.
However, An Yize was at a loss facing the crying Su Jian.
"Is it painful?" An Yize knitted his brows and moved less vigorously, gently touching Su Jian's face that was wet with sweat.
Su Jian panted as he looked at An Yize and shook his head.
Facing those teary eyes, An Yize felt his heart soften. Lowering his head, he gently kissed Su Jian's tears. His hoarse voice was overflowing with gentleness as he said, "Baby, I love you…"
Su Jian replied dazedly as he panted, "Yes, me too…"
Everything was calm and it was deep into the night.
An Yize held Su Jian's face and gently kissed him.
"I can't anymore…" Su Jian's face was blushing red and he had no energy. "Yize, you should take note if it is possible to go on instead of just doing it single mindedly…"
An Yize lightly laughed, "I will take note next time."
Su Jian was very tired. Nestling in An Yize's embrace, he soon became drowsy.
On the other hand, An Yize's eyes were bright. Remembering Su Jian's dazed "me too", his heart heated up.
He suddenly wanted to hear it again.
"Jian Jian?"
"Hm…"
"I love you."
"Hm… Just like how a mouse… loves rice…[3]"
When Su Jian woke up the next day, the sky was already bright.
An Yize kissed his forehead. "Awake?"
Su Jian wrinkled his nose and replied a "Yes" softly. Then, he put one of his legs on An Yize's stomach.
An Yize: "……"
As Su Jian gradually woke up, he murmured, "The rain seems to have stopped?"
"Mhm, the rain has stopped."
Su Jian emerged halfway. However, because the surrounding air was cold, he quickly went back into the blanket. An Yize hugged him and helped cover him with the blanket.
Su Jian murmured lazily, "I don't feel like getting up…"
An Yize said gently, "Then don't."
Su Jian laughed, his hand touching An Yize's body idly under the blankets.
" How did you get these abs?"
"Workout."
"How solid!"
"…Jian Jian."
Su Jian was stunned when An Yize caught his hand. Then, he said in ridicule, "Why so petty? Isn't it just abs? I have it too!"
Seeing An Yize look over in surprise, Su Jian said, "One ab is still an ab isn't it?"
An Yize: "……"
Because An Yize didn't let him touch his abs, Su Jian looked for another plot of land.
Seeing Su Jian studying his chest with relish, An Yize was at a lost.
"Say, why do you think guys have these?" Su Jian observed the things on An Yize's chest, occasionally touching them with his fingers. "It's not interesting to see, neither is it practical. I've heard that there's even a chance for breast cancer."
An Yize: "……"
Su Jian looked and looked. Then, he suddenly stuck out his tongue and licked it.
An Yize's body trembled.
Su Jian found it interesting. He lowered his head and sucked it.
An Yize panted slightly, "Jian Jian…"
Su Jian looked up and asked, "Does it feel like breastfeeding?"
An Yize: "……"
The conclusion to the scientific study was Su Jian being pressed down by An Yize on bed and kissed fiercely.
After being released, Su Jian's lips were very red and the emotion in his eyes had yet to retreat. Seeing An Yize restraining himself, he suddenly laughed.
An Yize's forehead was touching Su Jian's. He asked gently, "Why are you laughing?"
Su Jian panted lightly as he replied, "I suddenly thought of a poem."
An Yize asked, "What poem?"
Su Jian slowly said, "An old man behaving like a young man, an old man marrying a young woman.[4]"
An Yize: "……"
Seeing An Yize's face stiffen, Su Jian laughed. Hooking his arms around Yize's neck, he said softly beside his ears, "There are a few more lines, do you want to hear them?"
An Yize pecked Su Jian's lips and nodded his head.
Su Jian recited unhurriedly, "Although it is short, the time spent is very precious. In order to truly understand something, you have to experience it yourself instead of reading it on paper. Stop to enjoy the beautiful scenery before you, when silence is stronger than speaking."
A trace of laughter appeared in An Yize's eyes, "Good poem."
Su Jian laughed. Turning his body over, he sat on An Yize.
After a round of doing things for his own interest, Su Jian laid on An Yize's body and suddenly sneered.
An Yize gently stroked his sweating back. "What's wrong?"
Su Jian buried his face onto An Yize's neck, saying, "I thought of another poem."
An Yize: "Yes?"
Su Jian: "Everything happens very quickly and the king no longer wakes up early for his duty due to being so attracted to the woman."
An Yize: "……"
Footnotes:
[1]This sentence is part of a poetry.
[2]There was a story about an old lady and a young man who lived upstairs. The young man always worked late into the night and liked to wear boots. Whenever the young man came back, he would slam his two boots on the floor before he slept. The old lady being a light sleeper would always be awakened by the sound of the slamming boots before falling back asleep after hearing both the slams. However, there was a time when she only heard the sound of the slamming once instead of twice which bothered her a lot she couldn't fall back asleep. The moral of the story is that when you're expecting something but it doesn't occurs, it will bother you a lot.
[3]This is the lyrics to a part of a song called "Mouse Love Rice".
[4]This is not the poem literally but the rough meaning.
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Chapter 83: Dad, Mom, Are You All Willing To Hand Yize To Me?Although Su Jian asked An Yize to not come too often, An Yize didn't listen to him at all and came every weekend as usual. Though Su Jian was still worried, he stopped talking about it after mentioning it once. The reason for that was that he started thinking about An Yize more.
When they were not together, they called each other practically every night. Although nothing much happened in their everyday lives, for some reason, they could always talk for a very long time. Sometimes, Su Jian, who called An Yize from inside the blankets, fell asleep while holding the phone. As for An Yize, when he heard the soft breathing sound of Su Jian, he said "Jian Jian, goodnight" with a smile before hanging up.
In a blink of an eye, a few months passed by. If it was in the past, Su Jian might feel that such a life without any form of entertainment would be dull. But now, Su Jian felt that every day seemed to have become interesting.
However, recently, Su Jian seemed unable to feel happy. He didn't feel well and he felt a little giddy. He was also lacking in energy. Therefore, when An Yize called at night, what he heard was Su Jian's feeble voice.
"What's wrong Jian Jian?"
"Nothing. I haven't been feeling well for the past two days. I'm not sure if I've gotten a cold."
"I'll come tomorrow."
"What? Isn't it only thursday tomorrow?"
"I'm worried since you're sick."
"It's nothing serious, I can get the medicine myself. The weather forecast said that it will might rain tomorrow. Don't come over."
"It's okay. Wait for my call tomorrow."
Although Su Jian wasn't so willing to let An Yize come under the rain, he couldn't help feeling happy knowing that An Yize is coming over. When he laid on the bed at night, he was already thinking of the grocery list for tomorrow.
On the next day however, he didn't receive An Yize's call but instead An Yirou's.
"Third sister-in-law, quickly come back!"
An Yirou spoke vaguely over the phone and didn't made clear what was going on. However, Su Jian could tell that the matter wasn't small. Far from good and most importantly, it had to do with An Yize.
Sitting in the long-distance bus, various possibilities kept flashing by Su Jian's head.
An Yize met an accident? No, definitely not!
Then, did An Yize's company go bankrupt? Alright, this possibility is too low.
Then, maybe an adultery? Tch, this…
Su Jian kept guessing throughout his journey and rushed back home with his mind full of doubts.
He had just stepped into the house when he heard father An's strict voice. "I've already checked. You and Xiao Jian had married after knowing each other for only a few days and hadn't interacted before. Also, your mom found a printed copy of the divorce agreement form in your room. There's a rumor saying that your marriage is fake, that you were only acting affectionate to each other. Tell me, is this true?"
Su Jian's movement stopped and his eyes widened. Shit! Our fake marriage was discovered?
Indeed, it was a serious situation! Su Jian didn't have the mood to think about how father An and mother An found out. He stared straight at An Yize.
"No!"
With Su Jian's shout, everyone turned around to look at him.
Seeing Su Jian, An Yize knitted his eyebrows. "Jian Jian? Why are you back? Didn't you say that you weren't feeling well?"
Looking at him, Su Jian nodded his head before turning back to face the rest of the An family.
"Third sister-in-law." An Yirou looked at him perplexedly and softly greeted him. As for mother An, she glared at him, feeling as perplexed.
"Dad, mom, Xiao Rou." Su Jian stood beside An Yize and quietly touched his hands. An Yize turned his hand around and held Su Jian's hand in his palm.
Noticing this, father An's eyes moved slightly. He looked at Su Jian with slightly gentler but still strict gaze. "Xiao Jian. Good that you're back. You've heard what I said earlier. There's a rumor saying that you and Xiao Ze are not a true couple and are only acting temporarily as one. Is that true?"
"No." This time, it was An Yize who answered.
Father An's eyes were deep. However, he looked towards Su Jian instead and slowly said, "If you guys really had a deal, it's still not to late now. Xiao Ze has wronged you with his absurd actions, the An family will compensate you. Or else, I'm afraid the two of you can't divorce whenever you like anymore." Father An paused for a moment before continuing, "Xiao Jian, you should think carefully."
Su Jian fell silence and didn't talk, looking like he was making a difficult decision in his heart.
On the other hand, An Yize who had been looking calm all this time started getting anxious.
Although he felt that they had been interacting harmoniously and mutually liked each other for quite a while, he didn't forget that Su Jian always thought about divorce. And now……
"Alright."
The expression of the whole An family changed.
An Yize's whole body jolted. He looked at Su Jian in disbelief, hurt filling his quiet eyes.
It seemed like he had overestimated and wished for too much after all……
"However, I want nothing else." Su Jian looked at An Yize, gently swaying An Yize's hand which was holding his. "Dad, Mom, can you give him to me?"
An Yize stiffened and his eyes which were looking at Su Jian brightened instantly.
Father An's expression became much gentler, mother An humphed and An Yirou smiled happily.
Su Jian looked towards father An with a serious expression. "Although my qualification is average, I promise I will do my best to support him, protect him and love him. As of now, it's sounds kind of fake saying that I would do it forever. However, that is my goal and I will work hard towards it."
An Yize: "……"
"Although I may not be good enough, I have a sincere heart." Su Jian's eyes looked genuine and had a seriousness they didn't have before. "Dad, Mom, are you all willing to hand Yize to me?"
Mother An felt like something was wrong somewhere, but wasn't able to figure out what it was. An Yirou smiled and her eyes were grinning. Raising An Yize's other hand, she placed it in Su Jian's hands.
Father An lightly coughed and looked at the two before him.
He had never seen such a serious and responsible Su Jian before. However, he could tell that the gentle and loving look An Yize gave to Su Jian wasn't fake. This youngest son of his was different from his other two sons. He never liked to lie ever since young. When they made mistakes when they were young, his other two son would always try their best to hide it. However, his youngest son would always admit to them honestly. And right now, looking at the way his son was looking at the woman beside him with happiness and satisfaction in his eyes, he knew it wasn't fake.
Su Jian looked towards An Yize, saying, "Yize, I know I'm not good enough. Are you sure you want to be with me? There's still a chance for you to not regret now. If you miss it, there won't be another one."
An Yize didn't answer him. Instead, he looked at Su Jian deeply and asked, "Jian Jian, are you sure that what you said is all true?"
These were words only the two of them would understand. Su Jian knew that if he gives a confirmation now, he would probably be with An Yize for the rest of his life.
Su Jian gazed at An Yize and asked himself: Are you sure you want to agree? Are you sure it will be this person?
Su Jian didn't say anything.
An Yize's eyes gradually darken. Thinking that what Su Jian said earlier may just be an act like what they did previously, his heart couldn't help but felt hurt.
Su Jian tried his best to bear with it but he ultimately couldn't. Shaking An Yize's hands off, he ran to the side, lowered his head and started vomiting.
Everyone was stunned. After An Yize's shock, he rushed to Su Jian side with furrowed brows. "Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
Su Jian vomited, yet nothing came out. Quietly lifting his head, he said without energy, "I think I ate something wrong, I have been feeling uncomfortable."
Hearing that, the eyes of mother An, who was by the side, suddenly brightened. Walking over quickly, she pulled Su Jian up and studied him.
Su Jian blinked his eyes and asked in confusion, "Mom?"
Mother An asked him immodestly, "How long has it been since your last period?"
Su Jian: "……" Must you ask such a direct question in front of everybody?! Not to mention, I don't even remember my own period. When big aunt doesn't visit me, I wouldn't bother remembering this kind of thing. How would I be able to remember when it last came!
An Yize who was by the side immediately understood the meaning behind mother An's question. An expression of unbelievable surprise appeared on his face.
An Yirou asked mother An happily, "Is third sister-in-law pregnant?"
Su Jian: "……"
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Chapter 84: Congratulations! You're Going To Be A Mother!Mother An went on with asking about the symptoms one would have during pregnancy. The more the symptoms matched, the more frightened Su Jian became. Whereas for the An family, the more the symptoms matched, the happier they were.
The fierce fight ceased like a raging fire being put out. What fake marriage, what fake affection. All these thoughts disappeared when they saw Su Jian puking——They already have a child, how could the marriage possibly be fake! Even if it was truly fake, so what? Once they have a child, it has to be real!
Mother An started giving out orders, and An Yize carried them out while father An and An Yirou followed along. Ignoring the thoughts of Su Jian, the family brought him to the hospital immediately.
After the check up, the doctor said with a smile, "Congratulations, you have been pregnant for two months."
Everyone in the An family was exulted. Even An Yize who was usually stoic looked excited. Only Su Jian looked shocked and lifeless. Then, he clarified again with a crying face, "Doctor, are you sure you're right? Are you really sure I'm pregnant or is it just some kind of illness? Did I perhaps grow a tumor?"
Doctor: "…I'm sure. Congratulations, you're going to be a mother."
Mo…ther…
Su Jian was so shocked he was almost on his last breath, his eyes almost tearing up. How is this something worth congratulating for? This is clearly a strike of lightning from heaven!
However, the exhilarated family didn't notice his mood at all. They thought that he was simply too surprised. Surrounding the doctor, they asked for things a pregnant woman should watch out for. Then, a few of them carefully helped Su Jian up like he was a national treasure.
An Yize held Su Jian's waist with care and walked at the front. The excitement on his face has yet to disappear but his voice was very gentle. "Jian Jian, do you still feel uncomfortable?"
Su Jian leaned onto him and said listlessly, "Chest pain, heart attack, internal bleeding…"
An Yize: "……"
At the sight of her sister-in-law leaning onto her brother dependently as well as her brother looking down and protecting her sister-in-law, An Yirou lamented, "Third brother and third sister-in-law are so loving. Anyone can tell that their feelings are true in one glance! How can all this be an act or a fake marriage? Just where did this rumor came from? How stupid!"
Father An said happily, "As long as the two of them are happy, it doesn't matter what rumors there are."
An Yirou smiled, "I've never seen third brother so happy before. Now that you mentioned it, ever since third sister-in-law came, third brother has smiled much more than before. He became much more gentle!"
Father An nodded with a smile, "Xiao Jian is indeed a good child."
By their side, mother An excitedly repeated, "Let's go to a baby shop later. Let me think of what to buy, a crib, a milk bottle…"
"Mother!" An Yirou laughed, "Isn't it still too early? Third sister-in-law is only two months pregnant!"
Mother An widened her eyes, "What does a little girl like you know! You have to prepare many things for pregnancy!"
Father An who was by their side laughed, "Rourou is right. It's still too early to prepare now. Instead, we should think of how to take care of Xiao Jian's health."
Mother An's eyes brightened. "Mrs Zhang once complimented the dietitian their family hired. I'll ask her tomorrow!"
Returning back to their room, An Yize brought Su Jian into his embrace and carefully hugged him.
"Jian Jian," An Yize's voice was slightly shaking as he continued, "We're going to have a child!"
Su Jian nestled obediently in his embrace. He didn't move and didn't said anything.
An Yize was excited for a while before realising something was wrong with Su Jian. Gently pushing Su Jian away, An Yize studied his expression and asked with uncertainty, "Jian Jian, are you not happy?"
Su Jian pursed his lips slightly and said reluctantly, "That's not it…"
An Yize looked at him, "Then, why do you have such an expression?"
Su Jian stiffly replied, "I just felt that it was too sudden…"
Seeing Su Jian's expression which looked like his parents had just passed away, An Yize gradually lost his excitement. After a moment of silence, he asked softly, "Jian Jian, are you not looking forward to this child?"
Su Jian didn't reply. It wasn't that he was not looking forward to the child. He didn't even dare to think about giving birth in the first place. Knowing that he now had a child in his tummy which would eventually come out in between his legs, he felt fearful as if a missile shot through his stomach.
An Yize's excitement left his heart. Recalling Su Jian's silence to his question before puking, An Yize started feeling uncertain. If the person before him was truly willing to spend the rest of her life with himself, why would she not feel happy having a child, but instead sadness and reluctance? Unless…
An Yize said quietly, "Jian Jian, what you said earlier to father and mother was all an act wasn't it?"
Su Jian suddenly looked up and stared blankly at him. "An act?"
An Yize's voice was slightly hoarse as he replied, "Actually, our contract is already over. If you really want to divorce, there's no need for—"
An Yize's voice came to an abrupt stop when he realised something was wrong with Su Jian.
Su Jian stared at An Yize, his face full of disbelief. Your mom. I've been acting all along before. However, I was speaking truthfully this time round. I've said it so sincerely, ignoring my sexual orientation, to be together with you who is a male. Yet, you actually didn't believe in me?"
Su Jian was full of grief and indignation. If it was in the past, he would have jumped in anger or chosen to ignore An Yize. But now, he felt so wronged when An Yize questioned him. He had finally picked up the courage to spend the rest of his life with An Yize. Yet, he was being questioned by that very person. Adding on the fear and shock he's gotten after learning that he was pregnant, Su Jian pursed his lips and started crying loudly with a "Wa".
An Yize: "……"
An Yize hadn't expect such a reaction from Su Jian and could only panic. For all the time spent together, other than the time when Su Jian was crying while looking at Lu Chenghe's photo, he had never seen Su Jian crying. But now, the usually lively person was crying so loudly. Although Su Jian was just as lively crying, An Yize didn't know what to do.
"Jian Jian, don't cry." An Yize helplessly wiped off Su Jian's tears. Seeing the large drop of tears falling down Su Jian's eyes as Su Jian cried with a wronged expression, An Yize's heart clenched. "Please, don't cry."
Su Jian said between his sobs and tears, "You're not the one giving birth, how would you know how painful it is!"
An Yize slowly understood. Lightly kissing Su Jian's tears, he said gently, "Jian Jian, are you afraid of giving birth?"
Su Jian said as he sobbed, "I, I'm not scared! I'm just…"
"Then, are you scared of the pain?" An Yize used his finger to gently wipe off the tears on the corner of Su Jian's eyes and comforted with a soft voice, "Don't be afraid, it may not be as painful as you think…"
Su Jian glared at him with tear stained eyes, "Of course you would say so! Giving birth is more painful than being kicked below and you still say that it's not painful!"
"……" An Yize fell silent. Seeing Su Jian's tears showing no sign of stopping, he held Su Jian's face in his hands and comforted with a gentle voice, "Jian Jian, think about it. After eight months, we will have our own child. There will be a child calling you 'mother'. Do you really not look forward to it?"
Hearing the word 'mother', Su Jian stiffened. Then, with a 'wa', he cried even louder.
An Yize: "……"
An Yize only managed to coax Su Jian to stop crying after he took out the cakes that An Yirou bought from "Three Little Bears".
There were still drops of tears on Su Jian's eye lashes. As he ate while sobbing, he exhorted, "Next time, buy the chocolate flavoured one!"
An Yize asked in surprised, "I thought you didn't like eating the chocolate flavoured one?"
Su Jian's mouth paused. Quietly giving An Yize a glance, his tears started falling again silently.
An Yize was shocked. Quickly stretching his hand to wipe off Su Jian's tears, he asked in distress, "Why are you crying again?"
Su Jian lowered his eyes to look at his own tummy. He said in sorrow, "Looks like there's really a child inside. Or else, why would I suddenly like eating chocolate? It must be your son who likes eating chocolate…"
An Yize: "……"
Su Jian finished the chocolate while he cried. After a while, he fell asleep with tears still hanging on his eyes. An Yize gently wiped off the tears from the corner of Su Jian's eyes and quietly breathed out a sigh of relief.
When Su Jian woke up, he realised An Yize was lying beside him and that he was An Yize's embrace. After the initial period of confusion when he just woke up, his memories slowly started surfacing. Recalling himself crying so loudly before An Yize, Su Jian held his face in embarrassment.
The next moment, his hand which was holding his face was pulled aside gently and An Yize's low voice sounded by his ears. "Awake? Did you sleep well?"
Su Jian nodded his head. He felt a little embarrassed to face An Yize. He didn't know why he suddenly exploded before. Su Jian felt his face heat up as he recalled the scene of himself crying so brazenly as well as An Yize so gently and patiently comforting him.
I've never embarrassed myself so much before. What's going to happen to my image… Su Jian buried his head into An Yize's embrace like an ostrich.
However, An Yize didn't mind what happened before. While Su Jian was asleep earlier, he took out his phone to research pregnancy. One of the lines mentioned that pregnant women get emotional easily. "When a pregnant woman gets emotional, it is detrimental to her body as well as the baby. The family should create a harmonious environment and try to be more understanding and caring." Silently remembering the advice from the expert, An Yize hugged Su Jian and asked gently, "Are you hungry?"
Su Jian laughed, "I ate a piece of cake before I slept, how could I be hungry? I'm not a pig!"
An Yize smiled, "It's okay even if you're hungry. Eating more during pregnancy is normal."
Su Jian had vented some negative emotions after crying and sleeping and he slowly started accepting the fact that he is pregnant. Lifting up his shirt, Su Jian stared at his tummy and studied it for a good while. Touching it with his hand, he still found it unbelievable. Sighing, he said, "I just can't see that there is someone inside!"
An Yize laughed," It's still small, of course you can't see it yet."
Su Jian glanced at his white stomach. Then, he turned and looked at An Yize's, his eyes filled with resentment. This fellow has eight packs. I couldn't even compare to him before. Now that I'm starting to grow a bulging tummy, it's even more uncomparable!
Su Jian quietly said, "Why are you not the one giving birth?"
An Yize stroked his hair and said gently, "How is it possible for a man to give birth?"
Su Jian replied with resentment, "How could you only care about planting the seeds but not nurturing the seedlings?"
An Yize: "……"
Su Jian sighed, "It would've been great if a child could grow like a flower! When I was little, my mother lied to me, saying that I was grown out of a flower pot. Afterwards, I wanted a little sister but there was never one. Therefore, I thought of growing out a little sister. In the end, I took care of the flower pot everyday but a little sister never grew out. I was so sad."
Seeing An Yize started laughing, Su Jian laughed as well. He asked, "When a child asked how they came about, many parents seemed to lie with all sorts of tales. How did your parents explain it to you back then?"
An Yize replied, "I've never asked about it."
Su Jian asked doubtfully, "You really didn't ask before? What a boring childhood you had!"
An Yize: "……"
"Hey, if our child asks about it in the future, how should we answer?" Su Jian continued, "Picked up from the rubbish bin? Jumped out from a rock? Got you cheaply? All these doesn't seem like good answers."
An Yize slightly relaxed.
Su Jian said, "How about we tell our child that we won him as a prize. What do you think?"
An Yize: "……"
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Chapter 85: The Final ChapterThe next day, An Yize didn't go to work and stayed home with Su Jian because first thing in the morning, Su Jian started throwing up again.
Hugging the toilet while dry heaving for a long while, Su Jian who felt pitifully on the verge of death was helped out of the bathroom by An Yize.
"When the great aunt comes, it causes worries. When it doesn't come, it also causes worries. It's so hard being a woman!" Su Jian sighed gloomily.
An Yize: "……"
Su Jian looked at An Yize, then a lightbulb went off suddenly in his head, "Yize, I have an idea!"
An Yize looked at his sparkling eyes, and asked guardedly, "What idea?"
"Say. What do you think about finding another person to have your babies?" Su Jian got excited the more he talked, "Like looking for a mistress or something. Let her give birth to your child. At that time, I can sleep with her and take care of her…"
An Yize said quietly, "You want to push me towards someone else?"
Su Jian was frozen by An Yize's slightly rueful gaze and hastily waved his hand, "Hehe, I'm just joking! Why are you so serious? How could I bear to give you to someone else?"
Seeing the hint of doubt in An Yize's eyes as if he didn't believe him, Su Jian slapped his stomach and stiffened his neck as he said, "I'm already willing to have your child. What else do you want?"
An Yize's heart skipped a beat. He hastily pulled his hand and frowned, "Don't slap!"
Seeing his extremely serious expression, Su Jian shrank back and said in embarrassment, "Why so loud…"
An Yize spoke solemnly, "The doctor said that we had to be very careful the first three months. You can't do high intensity movements or you could easily miscarry."
Su Jian was terrified at the word 'miscarry' and unconsciously touched his stomach. He muttered apprehensively, "How troublesome…then what about after three months? Can I move however I wish then?"
An Yize replied, "After three months, your stomach will get bigger. At that time, you wouldn't be able to move even if you wanted to."
Su Jian: "…"
Because of the sudden pregnancy, Su Jian was strongly encouraged by his family to stop teaching in at-risk areas. Su Jian felt that other than the minor annoyance of occasional vomiting, there wasn't much of a problem with continuing to teach in an at-risk area. However, An Yize didn't allow it and was completely unyielding this time. Su Jian couldn't move him at all. In the end, he could only compromise. Su Jian stopped teaching in at-risk areas and returned to work at his original school.
When they found out that not only was Su Jian married, but that he was pregnant, his colleagues and students expressed emotions ranging from surprise to sorrow. But the majority were congratulatory. An Yize personally escorted Su Jian to the office and brought gifts while politely requesting Su Jian's colleagues watch out for her on a regular basis. Thus, after her colleagues had met Su Jian's husband in real life, everyone said that Su Jian's hubby was handsome and loved his wife dearly and that he could not be even more amazing! If this had happened in the past, Su Jian would have inevitably felt jealousy and bitterness about hearing other people praising An Yize like that. But now that he was in a good relationship with An Yize, he would unconsciously feel elated when he heard other people praise An Yize. He said, beaming, "You're too kind! The main point is that I have good taste!"
When the students found out that Su Jian was pregnant, they felt happy and excited for the new experience. They were actually a lot better behaved in class. It was not just because of the head teacher's strict oversight, but also: "Our language teacher is pregnant. No one is allowed to make the language teacher angry," the tall, strong Ling Si had also spread the word. He would beat up whoever dared make the language teacher angry or make her unhappy!
At home, Su Jian pretty much became the most protected person in the house. Not only were the servants warned repeatedly to pay attention to third young master's wife's needs, but even the An family members warmed up even more towards Su Jian. Knowing that Su Jian was pregnant, An Yiheng who just happened to be out filming a movie forcibly cleared up some time to go home. In addition to a bunch of maternity and infant products, he also brought a large stack of autographed pictures from major movie stars. Even the mysterious oldest brother, An Yitian, that Su Jian hadn't even met yet had made a telephone call to Su Jian and sent generous gifts. An Yirou didn't even have to be mentioned. She moved back to school as soon as she heard Su Jian was pregnant and would check in frequently on how her sister-in-law and the baby were doing. And while father An treated Su Jian warmly, it was now supplemented with occasional concern as if he was treating Su Jian like a daughter.
The biggest change was seen in mother An. Even though mother An was still a bit cold to Su Jian to her face, it was a departure from the formerly critical Elder Rong. Now she had become a 'caretaker in both name and reality. Every day, she made Su Jian eat, rest, and limited his screen time. If Su Jian felt even the slightest discomfort, she would worry. Confronted with mother An's panicked suspicion of every tree and bush, Su Jian who was usually carefree felt very distressed. He secretly muttered, "How could it be so easy to miscarry? And even if I did miscarry, couldn't I just get conceive again?" Who would have known that once mother An knew Su Jian had said that, she immediately and ruthlessly lectured him, "You think that it's only the child's problem? Miscarriages are very harmful to a woman's body. Don't you want to live?"
That night, Su Jian touched his chin as he laid in An Yize's arms, "Why do I get the feeling that mom's words were out of concern for me?"
An Yize laughed, "Mom has always been worried about you. When you went to teach in at-risk areas, mom would always ask me about you. It was just that you didn't know."
After mother Su learned that Su Jian was pregnant, she was delighted beyond belief. She stubbornly dragged her sick self to call on Su Jian and had prepared to take care of her daughter herself. It took a Herculean effort by Su Jian and An Yize, both worried about her health, as well as mother An's personal vehement guarantee that she would definitely take good care of Su Jian to make her drop the idea and go home to take care of her own illness.
With harmonious and friendly coworkers, lively yet obedient students, and a family that treated him with utmost care, Su Jian felt that he lived a very comfortable life. Especially after three months, the bad side effects disappeared. Su Jian couldn't help but feel that pregnancy actually seemed to not be so hard!
Su Jian had actually heard in the office from coworkers who had already become mothers that even though pregnancy was difficult, the feeling of growing another life was indescribable. When Su Jian felt it for himself, he discovered that other than the amazement at seeing his own stomach grow big as if it was a balloon being blown up, he didn't have many of those so-called maternal feelings that everyone talked about. Occasionally he'd get dragged to some baby store by mother An. His neighbor mothers-to-be would carry expressions of tender happiness, yet he would usually feel bored and embarrassed. Thus, he often slipped away secretly to the neighboring toy store. Then, when he became engrossed in playing, he'd be dragged back by mother An.
However when he came home at night and watched An Yize gently kiss his stomach tenderly with a worshipful face, a tendril of some kind of feeling would surface and he'd suddenly feel as if enduring this torment was pretty…worth it.
But he still felt regret. Lying in the crook in An Yize's arm, he sighed, "Everyone says that once you have a child, don't even think about having a carefree life again. Ay, I wanted to have two more years with just the two of us!
An Yize kissed him and said gently, "Jian Jian, I would still love you whether we had a child or not."
The corners of Su Jian's mouth lifted but immediately fell again. "That's not the same! This ball is too inconvenient! I originally wanted to try out a whole bunch of places! Like in the car, outdoors, or something. But now look at me! I can't do anything!"
An Yize let out a soft chuckle.
"Why are you laughing?" Su Jian was dissatisfied, "You don't want to?"
"I do." An Yize's delighted voice was low, gentle, yet husky, "After you give birth, we can try them one by one…"
Su Jian's gaze lit up and clung onto his neck, "Can't we try them right now?"
An Yize gaze deepened. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he managed to hold himself in check. He pressed himself against Su Jian's forehead and said huskily, "No. At least, not right now. It could hurt the baby."
Su Jian was a bit disappointed, so he leaned in and resentfully bit An Yize's lip. Then, he looked up at the sky while sighing sadly, "Alas! I've just now discovered that condoms are an invention truly beneficial to mankind!"
An Yize: "……"
As his due date neared, Su Jian couldn't help but start to worry. Sometimes he would watch dramas with mother An and see the female lead of the drama give birth. Her face would be twisted as she shouted in desperation. Su Jian couldn't help but tremble—where was the happiness of growing a new life? This was clearly torture! Ah! He'd rather die than give birth!
As he became more traumatized, Su Jian started to twist himself up in knots with worry. "What do I do if I have complications during labor?"
He felt for An Yize so whether to protect the adult or the child was not a question he was planning to ask. But An Yize directly answered him anyways, "It won't happen. Don't speculate blindly. No matter what, Jian Jian, you are the most important."
When he heard this, Su Jian couldn't help but be glad. He thought and thought, then he had another dilemma, "Do you think I should choose to give birth naturally or have a C-section?"
An Yize was surprised, "Aren't you afraid of pain? I thought you wouldn't even consider natural childbirth."
"Who said I was afraid of pain?" To be considered weak by An Yize made Su Jian very unhappy. "Don't they say that natural childbirth is better for the baby? Also, the doctor said that it was fine for me to give birth naturally. It's decided! I'm going to go with natural childbirth!" In any case, he was a manly man. So many delicate girlies had already gone through it, he didn't believe he wouldn't be able to bear it!
An Yize hesitantly asked, "You really don't want to consider it some more?"
"I don't have to think it over anymore!" Su Jian spoke heroically, "A C-section uses external forces, while natural childbirth needs one's own hard work! The competition is so fierce nowadays, our child cannot lose at the starting line! The little guy has to be assertive from birth or I'll push him back in!"
An Yize: "……"
Although the due date neared, Su Jian didn't want to just lay there in the house and wait for labor to start. After consulting the doctor, An Yize finally agreed to take him out for a spin.
The place An Yize picked was a small park, lush with plants, yet not very crowded. It was very secluded. But to Su Jian who had gone on maternity leave and had not left the house for a long time, it was heavenly. He browsed through the greenery with much fervor. An Yize supported his clumsy body and said gently, "If you are tired, you have to tell me."
Su Jian replied, "What can you do if I tell you? Don't tell me you want to carry me back?"
An Yize nodded, "Yes."
Su Jian looked at his own rounded body and laughed, "Right now I'm over 100 kg. Can you carry me?"
An Yize said with a smile, "How could I not be able to carry my own wife and child?"
The two strolled casually as they chatted along the way, surprisingly quite happily as well. As they turned the corner, the verdant green forest suddenly revealed the corner of a building. Su Jian made a sound of surprise, "There's a church up ahead!"
Su Jian dragged An Yize over in curiosity then discovered that there was a wedding ceremony going on inside. The wedding wasn't a big one and didn't have many guests, but it was like all weddings under the sun, both dignified and beautiful,
Su Jian dragged An Yize inside and secretly sat on a chair.
In the midst of the formal music, the tuxedoed groom and the bride covered in a white wedding dress stood in front of the pastor. Su Jian looked at the visibly happy and excited new couple and suddenly sighed with regret.
Once, he had wished for this—watching the girl he liked draped in a white wedding dress, walking one step at a time towards him. She would stretch out her hand and give it to him. He would hold her hand and never let go. Witnessed by the world, the two of them would engrave an oath into their hearts to be with each other for the rest of their lives.
But he didn't expect that the world would throw him such a big curveball. Even though being reborn into a woman wasn't what he would have wished for, he still was grateful for this new life, whether it was being alive or the person at his side.
Su Jian quietly turned his head and looked towards An Yize at his side.
He was suddenly curious about the An Yize in the past. Did he have a wedding ceremony like this with this body? What did An Yize as a groom look like?
No matter what, the An Yize of that time would never have displayed a happy expression. After thinking it over, in this aspect, it was really hard to decide who won or lost between An Yize and him. He probably would not be able to really have his own wedding in this lifetime. An Yize, even if he'd had one, had only had a fake one, one having nothing to do with true happiness.
But now, true happiness already had nothing to do with a wedding.
An Yize turned his head and saw Su Jian's eyes shining when looking at the newlyweds. His heart suddenly stirred. He said in a low voice, "Jian Jian."
"Hmm?"
"After the child is born, let's have another wedding."
It wasn't that he had never seen Su Jian wearing a wedding dress. It was only that seeing the couple's happiness in front of him, his heart suddenly stirred. He really wanted to see a Su Jian who was harmoniously in sync with him wearing a wedding dress and looking at him with a big, shining smile.
"Huh? We don't need to, right?"
"…Or, we could find some time to take some wedding portraits?"
"Wedding portraits? No way. Isn't that super-girly? Yize, when did you have an interest in those things?"
In the front, the pastor started to ask the groom, "Zhang Ming, Do you take Qing Hong as your wife? Whether for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this forward until death do you part?"
Su Jian, affected by the atmosphere, turned towards An Yize and imitated, "Mr. An Yize. Do you take Su Jian as your wife? Whether for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this forward until death do you part?"
An Yize's gaze was filled with warmth. He said in a low, yet solemn voice, "I do."
Su Jian's teeth shone bright. He heard An Yize say in a low voice in his ear, "Su Jian, will you be An Yize's wife? Whether for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this forward until death do you part?"
Amused, Su Jian was about to respond when he suddenly frowned.
An Yize waited so long for Su Jian to make a sound, that he couldn't help from lowering his eyes in disappointment.
Next, he heard Su Jian make a sound as if exerting a strenuous force.
"Yize, your son says that he is willing so he wants to come out now…"
Because his stomach suddenly started to hurt, Su Jian was quickly brought to the hospital by An Yize who had put his best effort in remaining calm but was still quite nervous.
Then Su Jian was rolled into the delivery room.
Only at that moment did Su Jian realize that the most difficult time of his life had arrived—the baby was about to be born!
Su Jian was tormented by labor pains such that sweat covered his face yet when he saw An Yize come in to accompany him while giving birth, he still couldn't help but laugh though his gasps. He saw An Yize dressed in pink from head to toe. He even wore a hat! His typical dashing aura had disappeared without a trace. His eyes will filled with anxiety yet he still came forward to comfort him, "Jian Jian. Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Su Jian thought it was funny yet very warm.
Then Su Jian couldn't laugh anymore because—Your mom! It was really too painful! Su Jian originally thought he could withstand everything like a martyr, but he gave in at the end. The pain was too sharp and fierce. He really couldn't be bothered about his image. Thus, the delivery room was filled with repeated, mournful cries of, "Help! Save me!"
An Yize: "……"
With much difficulty, the labor pains slowed down. Su Jian panted, "So painful… it hurts so much that I want to sing…"
All the pain that An Yize felt paused suddenly. He wipes his sweat as he said tenderly, "…Don't sing anymore. Conserve your energy. Be good."
Su Jian replied, "It seems a little better now… I felt like I wanted to die just now… Yize, did you bring your cellphone… help me post on weibo … write 'Dying of pain'."
An Yize: "……"
But not long after, the labor pains rallied and came upon him violently. Su Jian truly couldn't bear it. He cried in desperation, "I'm not going to give birth naturally anymore…I want a C-section…"
The doctor calmly yet gently rejected him, "It's too late."
Su Jian: "…"
An Yize's face was covered with sweat and he was beyond distressed, "Jian Jian. Bear with it! Push hard!"
Su Jian looked at him pitifully, "I don't have any more energy… Yize… I'm hungry…"
An Yize: "……"
The waves of pain each came fiercer than the last. Su Jian's face screwed up in pain. Even his voice became weaker. At the end, he couldn't even shout out in pain. He could only grab onto An Yize's hand chanting repeatedly, "Yize… Yize…"
An Yize suddenly started to panic. He wiped Su Jian's sweat. His shake voice was hoarse, "Jian Jian, bear with it some more. Our child is going to come out very soon!"
Su Jian was dazed with pain. He looked at him. When he saw An Yize's eyes welling up, he suddenly froze in the midst of enormous pain.
And then he didn't know what happened, but he suddenly had energy again…
"Congratulations, it's a girl!"
An Yize only gave her a simple glance then let the doctor carry the baby to the family members outside to share the good news. He himself leaned over and kissed Su Jian's forehead. He said huskily, "Jian Jian, thank you."
Su Jian looked at his red eyes and smiled weakly but with a sense of pride, "I'm… pretty amazing, right?"
An Yize gave him another peck then laughed while nodding, "Amazing. Jian Jian is the best."
Su Jian looked at him and he suddenly felt a little proud: Ah, An Yize. So what if you're tall, handsome, and rich. So what if you're a jewel amongst men? In this lifetime, there's one thing you can never beat me at!
Su Jian suddenly remembered the first time they met after he had been reborn.
That actually could be considered the first time they met over two lifetimes. That time, it was also in a hospital room. The first time he woke up after being reborn when he looked up, he saw An Yize. He was the pathetic person who had been reborn into a woman and Yize was his contractual lawful husband. The two of them met in this extremely melodramatic manner.
And afterwards, it was a bout of chaos.
And even later, they became one.
At that time, he could never have thought that this time, he would be laying in a hospital room again and would willingly give birth to their child.
The universe is fickle. Life is cruel, but fate tends to bestow happy surprises to people.
Su Jian couldn't help but quietly smile.
An Yize tenderly wiped his sweaty hair, and gently said, "What are you smiling about."
Su Jian replied, "I suddenly thought of a former love rival."
"Former love rival?" An Yize was a bit perplexed then guessed, "Li Feifei?"
Su Jian didn't admit or deny it but continued, "They were better than me in everything. At one point I was envious, jealous, and hated them."
"No, you're better than her." An Yize kissed him, "And then?"
Su Jian smirked, "Although I've just discovered that no matter what there is one thing they can't beat me at."
An Yize laughed as he asked, "What thing?"
Su Jian looked at him, eyes crinkled into little moons, "I have you. They don't."
An Yize froze, then immediately held him with a deeply moved expression on his face.
Su Jian lifted his hand to hug him back, his smiling expression glitteringly bright.
I have you, yet he can only marry someone who was a man in his last lifetime, haha.
There once was a very popular question on the internet:
If one morning, you woke up and realized that your gender had changed, what would be your first reaction?
And someone on the internet had famously responded:
First, give your bros a good time!
Su Jian recalled, when he saw that reply, he had slapped the table with much gusto, "Good bro! Such loyalty!"
But now, he who had reborn into a woman leaned towards his former love rival cum husband An Yize's ear. He smiled and said, "Yize, have I ever said to you that I love you?"
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